China Blue "Photinus Biomimeticus"
AC Institute
This event has ended.
China Blue is an artist who captures the tenor of our times by transforming common electronic waste into biomimetic artwork with an environmental focus that also sings. In "Firefly Tree," one of her works shown at AC Institute, she translates the firefly’s rhythmic signaling pattern into sound (the "Firefly Chorus") and light (blinking LEDs). Today fireflies are threatened due to habitat encroachment and light pollution, making memories of fireflies more precious as the illumination of the cities and towns overwhelm their delicate mating light show.
The rhythmic pattern of the firefly calls is a significant component of the "Firefly Tree." This pattern is featured by the data sonification of the "Firefly Chorus" and the data visualization controlling the LED’s blinking rate. This dual reference underscores the biomimetic nature of the work both visually and acoustically while providing an original and imaginative way of simultaneously injecting both form and content. "Firefly Tree" was Nominated 2012 Best Monographic Museum Show, nationally by the International Association of Art Critics, and awarded 2012 Rhode Island State Council on the Arts Fellowship in New Genres. The work was also reviewed by Ed Rubin in Sculpture Magazine's November 2012 issue.
Media
Schedule
from January 31, 2013 to March 16, 2013
Opening Reception on 2013-01-31 from 18:00 to 20:00